Salvation
by Snow Illusion
Summary: A collection of vignettes taken from our favorite confederate general turned vampire’s perspective. Stage 5: Alice questions Jasper about a few of his scars.
1. Salvation

Salvation

Written by: Snow Illusion

Summary: A collection of vignettes taken from our favorite confederate general turned vampire's perspective.

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Stage 1

_Salvation_

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_

Strong marble arms were encircling my midsection, but I couldn't feel them. A low voice was billowing harsh syllables to restrain myself, but I couldn't hear it.

Everything was _her._

Every strained, haggard breath I took was intoxicating, excruciating. Without my own permission, my body started to seizure against the brute dragging me away from the one thing that would satisfy my thirst for the first time in decades. One arm jerked with slender, ice-cold fingers outstretched and flew towards the gradually widening open space that separated me and the object of my morbid desires. The arm was whipped back into place in less than a millisecond, pinned securely against my ribs, which rose in time with my quickening breaths. My entire body ached for her.

My body fell effortlessly into a crouch; venom coated my tongue as my hungry, raged body recognized the signs of an incoming meal. My jaw immediately fell open, exposing my greatest weapon, a row of shiny, perfect white teeth that could cut through steel if I ever intended them to do so.

"Get him out of here!" ordered the tight, angered voice of one of my brothers, but the words no longer connected nor made any sense. It was all just noise. Everything was just noise and light and desperate need. The need to feel her warm neck against my lips, her pulsing, hot blood splattering against the pearl porcelain of my teeth. True pleasure.

I growled instinctively (everything was rooted in my instincts now) and felt the statuesque arms tighten. I would break his neck open as well if I had to. I had the training. I had taken down others stronger and younger, and Emmett's grip was nothing compared to the red glare of Maria.

My cold, black, and thirsty eyes twitched from side to side and my vision swam with the concerned faces of my family. Mostly the concern was for the girl_BELLA_ who had been the main cause of this fiasco. A harmless trip. A little blood. And in a split instant I had regressed into a Jasper I had been trying to desperately to grow out of, a Jasper that's only mission in his immortal life was to feed on as many pathetic humans as possible, the Jasper that was quite literally, a heartless killer.

A Jasper I didn't want to be.

The girl_BELLA_ had no idea what she had inspired with her innocent accident. With all of the strength I could muster, I forced my eyes towards the girl_BELLABELLABELLA_.

I stopped breathing.

Edward was hovering over her_BELLA_, a fear so deep in his topaz eyes I thought I could see into his very soul, and only more pain and fear lived there. A sweep of dark, brunette hair is what lied at the end of his gaze. A pale face, a deep inset of chocolate brown eyes. She was apologizing.

Her pink lips were moving soundlessly, but I could see the words they formed. _Jasper._

Jasper. What about Jasper?

What about me?

My golden eyebrows knitted in confusion. She was worried…about me? When her own frail life was at stake? Didn't she know…didn't she have any idea if Emmett hadn't clawed my shoulders, pushed me with the same amount of force that a jet engine requires to take off, at the exact precise moment that he did, she would have become another one of my countless victims?

The girl_BELLA_ turned again swiftly towards me but Edward held her in place. Carlisle was tending to her injuries. A sickening blow from Emmett aimed straight for my sternum forced my undead body to take another soaked breath.

Bad move.

The renewed heavenly scent of the girl_BELLABELLABELLA _ignited the fire. But my hunger was not the only thing kicked into high gear.

Fear seared through every inch of my pale skin, every tendon of my concrete hard muscles and every fiber of bone that had been set in the same place for more than a hundred years. It was completely overpowering. My flailing legs finally gave out from under me and I slumped in Emmett's grasp, my eyes tightening with unshed tears, my entire body twitching with the omnipresent terror that was radiating from every direction. It was coming from me, from everyone, and from no one at the exact same time. I curled my fists and bent my head into my chest, resisting the urge to run away, run away so far and so fast that even the idea of this panic would never surface again.

I growled again, this time in agony. I shut my eyes with a snap.

Concentrate. I just had to concentrate. After a few moments it was obvious the fear was coming from the girl_BELLA_, but it was not concern over her own life that was sparking the alarm, it was the imagined outcome of this mess she had created. Her life without us. Without Edward.

And without me.

She believed because of my outrage, we would all leave her. And she would be alone again, without the Cullens. Without Edward.

And without me…

"Jasper, c'mon!" Emmett grunted in clear struggle as he finally managed to detach my quivering, uncontrollable self from the scene of the crime. We were in the kitchen. Only one room away, but the farthest Emmett could take me, and none of the others wanted to take over once he was depleted. They wanted to believe I could control it, that I could overcome the thirst. They wanted to believe that there was still something good in me.

I wanted to believe there was still something good in me.

But it was so hard, it was so hard knowing that the girl_BELLA _was lying helplessly only a few feet away, slowing draining herself of elixir, ambrosia, the drink of the Gods that I had resisted for far too long.

Without even a first thought I was bolting again and Emmett's bear of a frame tackled me into a wall. Chunks of plaster fell from the ceiling and made sickening cracks as they exploded on tile. Multiple spidery cracks festered from the point our two stone bodies had made contact. Emmett was heaving now as he pressed my flinging extremities harder into the wall Esme had spent years renovating.

HERHERHERHERHER_BELLA_HERHER_BELLA_HER_BELLABELLABELLA_HERHERHERHER.

A second wave of sharp fear hit me again and I screamed. It was a rotten, dry sound that continued on long after the breath had died within me. I NEEDED HER_BELLA_. I NEEDED HER –

"_BELLA!_" my voice cracked, loud and ragged. Soaked with desperation and disappointment. The others in the room tore their attention away from said girl and focused instead, on me. The bad vampire. I squeezed my eyes shut again as harsher dread rolled in waves off of my skin. "HER NAME IS BELLA!" I continued unstoppably with my own brigade. I would never stop saying it if I had to. I knew the moment I forgot she had a name; I would forget she was real. That she was someone who meant a lot to me. That she meant a lot to Edward and to this entire family. "HER NAME IS BELLA, HER NAME IS BELLA, HER NAME IS BELLA," I repeated over and over again. The phrase screamed itself in my mind as the words themselves left my venomous mouth and echoed through the entire foyer. Emmett drove his bulky shoulder into my chest and I hissed. I couldn't stop. "HER NAME IS BELLA AND SHE IS WITH EDWARD! SHE IS MY FAMILY! I WILL NOT HURT MY FAMILY!" The last sentence was choked. I began to shake. But not with hunger. With shame. I was so ashamed of myself. Her name is Bella, and I loved her.

There was another hand. This hand was tiny, small, and delicate. I had felt the caress of this hand so many times. It meant hope. It meant love. It meant my own completion, my own soul's (if I had a soul at this point) other half. Slender palms cupped my cheeks. I shuddered and my eyes opened with a click. They met hers.

"No you will not," she answered my own mantra with a knowing smile. The corner of her lips was curled upward. Her golden eyes crinkled slightly at the edges with bliss. The pure love burning from her was the only thing that could dilute my shame and Bella's fear.

"I will not hurt my family," I repeated with a gasp, my black eyes locked with her topaz. She shook her head, her inky black hair ruffling ever so slightly with each movement, her warm and complete touch never leaving my face. Emmett finally relaxed and I fell.

I fell into her arms and she caught me. I burrowed my forehead into her beautiful, perfect exposed collarbone. I inhaled quickly, trying to saturate myself in her scent as much as inhumanly possible. She was the only one who could stop me; it was foolish for Emmett to even try. He was just buying time until Alice could find her way to me. And she always found her way.

"Everything will be okay. You have done nothing wrong," she sang softly as her velvet fingers stroked tendrils of my blonde hair. Her voice was the perfect melody. Her voice was an angelic harp. Her voice was my salvation.

My breathing was staggering, but slowly returning to what we consider normal. My unbreakable grip only constricted excessively with each passing second, but I had no worry that I would hurt Alice. I had held her in my worst of times, and not only could she handle it, she welcomed the fact that she was the only one who offered relief.

As the venom in my mouth began to sink into my tongue, I realized I was slowly returning from the brink of insanity. My first obligation was to calm down Bella.

I counteracted the fear with one thought. The tension in both rooms lowered considerably, I even felt my own shoulders sag, my facial muscles relax, and my arms loosen. Calm. I was calm.

And now was Bella, although I could tell she was fighting.

Calm. Calm was beautiful. Calm was control.

And calm was Alice.

I kissed her harshly, not even taking into account that our family was here. Alice and I usually restrained ourselves when we were in the company of others, neither of us felt the need to declare our love physically every moment, nor become an annoying presence like Rosalie and Emmett. But I needed her now. I needed her familiar lips; I needed to feel her body moving under mine. I needed her more than I needed blood.

She returned the kiss with equal ferocity and that only made me want her more. She pulled away however and her hands returned to my cheeks. Her gaze was hard and narrowed. I understood now, what she needed.

"Her name is Bella. She is with Edward. She is my family. I will not hurt my family," I repeated like a child drilling a learned lesson to a parent or teacher. My voice was barely audible, even to a room full of vampires. We were both still.

In the world, it was only she and I that existed. There was no blood, no vampires or humans, no Earth on which to live on. Only the two of us, rooted in this spot, for all eternity. And there was nothing else that I had ever needed or wanted more.


	2. Games

Salvation – Stage 2

Written by: Snow Illusion

Summary: Jasper and Alice first met at the half-empty diner in Pennsylvania…right? Or is Maria more powerful than anyone could remember?

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**A/N: Thank you everyone so much for the reviews, they mean so much! A little warning, this chapter ended up a lot longer than the previous, but there was a lot to get out. I hope you enjoy, and there is definitely more to come! Thank you so much again!**

Stage 2

_Games_

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"We're leaving."

His voice was hollow. Deep. Still, there was an echo of hope and longing. It was a voice that had been my companion through all these hellish years. And now this companion was leaving me.

I couldn't respond. There was nothing to say. I knew there was no way of keeping him here. He had been wanting an excuse to go for quite some time, and the desire had flared when she edged _her_ way into the picture.

His newborn. His mate. Charlotte.

"Where else is there to go?" I whispered, my burning scarlet eyes still locked on a patch of dead, yellowing grass a few feet from where the two stood.

"I'm not sure," he responded. "But we're leaving."

Peter squeezed Charlotte's hand and she smiled in approval.

I snarled. A fury rose up in the pit of my abdomen while my lips peeled back to expose the crescent row of sharp teeth. I leaned into a familiar crouch, but I wasn't exactly sure why. Peter's news was devastating. We were a team, and I believed we would always be a team. Maria's way of life was not the epitome of paradise, but it was the only way of life I knew. And I was good at the assignments Maria ordered me to fulfill. Peter and I killed, but only out of necessity. And we trained armies, but only because what else was there to do with this immortal life? It was what Maria wanted, and Maria had guided me through my transformation, protected me from rival covens and nomads, and allowed me to feast on delicious humans until my burning thirst had been satiated. The question was not what could be better than Maria, it was truly, what else was there to experience?

Peter stood protectively in front of Charlotte. Her eyes widened in fear and her concrete muscles tightened in anticipation of a fight. She was young, Peter and I both knew that. Peter and I both had trained her for the army. But it was apparent that she was different only after a few weeks. Not different in the sense that she possessed an ability quite like mine, but different to Peter.

I had never even heard of the term "mate" until Charlotte. Maria had described Peter and Charlotte's peculiar attitudes towards each other late one evening, after a particular gruesome crusade on a small town south of Houston.

"_Jasper, what seems to be displeasing you?" her musical voice asked in a sharp tone. Her red eyes pierced right through my stone chest. I could never lie to her._

"_It's Peter," I answered begrudgingly on our trail marking our way back to our claimed territory in this tiny colonization. _

_She nodded in a knowing way. "Yes, I have noticed his changed personality as well. Is it affecting your work?" Work. Everything came back to work. That was the only thing that mattered to her. _

_A crease formed between my own scarlet painted eyes. "No," I responded honestly, but my voice had a falter to it. It was the truth however; Peter's labor had actually been quite exceptional lately. But I knew the reason why._

_Maria caught my hesitation. Maria caught everything. "Tell me," she demanded. She was not harsh, nor commanding. She was compelling. You could not ignore her._

_I sighed. I should've known there was no way this information would not be leaked. "She's a newborn. Her name is Charlotte. She is not much different from any of the other hundreds of newborns that have passed through. She is petite, but strong, like the others. Peter is drawn to her. The complexity of emotions he feels whenever she is present resembles the weight of the world. He is always focused on her. And from what I can tell, she is the same way. I just don't understand. What is it about this newborn that has changed him so completely while not changing him at all?"_

_Before I had even finished my speech, Maria had stopped in her tracks. Her lips were a thin line on her porcelain face. She had her fists clenched at her sides as long, tangled wisps of her dark mahogany hair flipped around her without any recognition._

"_From your description, it appears that Peter has found his mate in this Charlotte."_

"_Mate?"_

She ordered me to keep a close eye on the two of them after her short, precise explanation of vampiric true love. Apparently, each vampire had a counterpart, a completion, a second half. And this person loved you as much as you loved them. Once you found this person, you never left their side, nor did you ever want to. You would be perfectly content for the rest of eternity. She also warned me that not everyone found their mate and that I shouldn't start looking. Not that I had any plans to. I was perfectly content for the rest of eternity by her side. Could Maria be my mate?

These thoughts passed in less than a second. When I returned to the present, Peter was returning my snarl with his own growl. Venom spat from the both of us and sliced the air open.

"Jasper! You have to stop or you'll draw Maria's attention!" he pleaded. I stumbled backwards. And I never stumbled. After the words had left his mouth, the amount of worry and panic that had exploded from the combined dread from Peter and Charlotte was absolutely heartbreaking, if I had a heart, that is. They needed to get away from here. They needed to escape Maria's depraved war strategies and throngs of power seeking. The two of them just needed to be with each other, and that was it. They couldn't stay here. Something might happen to either one, and neither of them could stand that thought. If they didn't leave, they would surely perish one way or another.

"Please," Charlotte's tinkling tone drifted. "Please let us go, Jasper." If she could cry, I was sure there would be shiny trails streaking her pale cheeks.

I strained to return to my normal height. I nodded my head once. It was a sign of my acceptance.

"Thank you, thank you!" Peter whispered harshly as he covered the space between us in a mere millisecond. His heavy arms were around my shoulders and I sighed deeply as I realized this might be the last time I might feel them.

"Thank you…brother…" he said so softly only I could hear. One last squeeze and the two bounded hand in hand for the forest. The last thing I saw was the shimmering light of the early morning sun reflecting off the yellow of Charlotte's corn silk hair.

I turned around only because I knew the sun's rays were almost upon me. If it weren't for the time of day, I would have stayed in that spot for days and days , contemplating Peter and Charlotte's decisions. Wherever they were going, they would be happy. And that was the only thing I could ask for them.

I chose not to run back to the home base. The sun was only strong for the first few minutes of dawn before it was claimed by heavy, gray storm clouds. I was blanketed by the shadows and waited for the rain to drop. I walked for a few hours by human standards, only rewinding back and forth the events that had led up to Peter and Charlotte's desperate exit. The turning of Charlotte was one, which had been done by myself. Maria left the turning up to me because I could feel the fear from my victims, so I was more likely to stop if I had the orders to. Charlotte struggled and I almost forfeited my assignment and sucked her dry, but I remembered Maria's words. She was for the army.

I dropped her to the bare ground, her blood still spilling from my cracked lips, and her body rattled. She screamed loudly for the first three days but I had grown use to the screams by then. When she was fully transformed, I dragged her to the barn where Maria and I had been operating out of the past few months. It had been deserted years ago and was far away enough from human civilization that no one would notice that she was building a terrifying, unbeatable army that would take down the other covens of the south.

Charlotte was like the others. I had noticed Peter's strange attitude almost at once and I knew something was different.

The two of them then began to sneak off some nights, avoiding training, drills, and even some crucial battles all together. I never mentioned a word to Maria until I absolutely had to. After our little talk, I knew our lives were going to change.

I just never thought they would leave.

Without me.

They didn't even ask! They didn't even ask if I wanted to come with them!

I fought the urge to punch a hole in the nearest building. I had somehow stumbled onto a main street in a miniscule town and now my vision was filled with humans walking the industrialized roads, pausing here and there to gawk at stores or entering hurriedly to purchase necessities and to avoid the incoming storm. I forced myself not to breathe. I couldn't turn around, but I couldn't risk the fact that I might slaughter a percentage of this town's population. That would surely attract attention.

I pursed my lips and flared my nostrils. This was going to be so much harder than I thought. Each step I took was heavy and paced precisely. What the hell was I thinking? Why wasn't I watching where I was going?

A sound of laughter caught my hearing and I resisted looking. If I even saw the rising chest of a human, the pulsing pouch of blood in their neck, their blue spidery veins…then all hell would break loose. Straight ahead, I must look straight ahead. I would hunt later that night, and I would be satisfied. I only had to wait a few hours. Not now. Not now.

In my tiny line of vision, I saw only the dark road in front of me. Keep walking. A short girl in a black cloak skidded from edge to edge of my focal points and to my surprise, I didn't leap from my spot and snap her neck in front of the other humans. Instead, I stopped completely.

The delicious aroma of said humans was nothing compared to the fragrance that this girl was producing. I followed behind her steadily, not daring to move too fast or too slow or attract her attention. I dared the chance to inhale again, and the luscious perfume of vanilla, lavender, and something else that I couldn't pinpoint hit me in waves. This girl had the most amazing smell I had ever smelled in my entire life! And I had smelled a lot of smells.

I was so caught up in this bouquet of delectable scents that I bumped right into her when she had decided her little stroll was over.

"Ma'am, I am so very sorry, please forgive my attention," I immediately apologized in a low southern drawl while stuttering. I couldn't believe it – I was stuttering! I obliged myself to regain control.

And this all happened before I even knew what she looked like.

She turned to face me and the breath caught in my no longer aching throat. She completely eradicated any need for the taste of human blood.

Well, she was definitely a vampire. Her eyes were a coal black, it was obvious she had been hungry for at least a few weeks, but the dark color didn't pull away from any of her beauty. Her skin was the most beautiful shade of pale cream I had ever laid eyes on. Every curve of her facial structure flowed like a winding river, and her lips were perfect, shiny, and kissable. Short, midnight hair peeked from underneath her hood and I had an undeniable urge to run my stone fingers through it. She was undoubtedly the most stunning and ethereal creature I had ever had the pleasure of running into. Literally.

What surprised me most however, was the fact that she was smiling.

"Hi there, soldier," were the first words she ever spoke to me. I would never forget them, even if I lived to be a thousand. And that was very possible.

The fact that she didn't have an accent threw me off guard. The fact that she was using jargon and didn't appear to have any knowledge of a polite greeting did as well, but it didn't bother me.

"Hello ma'am," I repeated. They were really the only two things I could remember to say.

"Stop calling me ma'am," she giggled, flashing an exact replica of my porcelain teeth. Her order was not like an order from a Maria. This girl's order was one I would follow to the end of the earth with a big, goofy grin on my face the entire time.

I nodded frantically and another set of laughs erupted from the pixie. My eyes widened unexpectedly. She had to keep laughing. It was the most gorgeous sound in the world.

"What else should I address you by?" I managed to ask after a few moments of silence. My red eyes never left her face. I followed every rehearsed movement she made to allow herself to blend in with the humans, every unneeded breath she breathed, every blink of her long, black eyelashes.

"My name's Alice!" she chirped, backing a few paces away. I stepped a few forward immediately, I never wanted her to be farther away. I ran into her outstretched hand and bounced back. She wanted to shake.

I quirked a golden eyebrow. A shake? Usually it was customary for me to kiss a woman's hand. I smiled and instead tried things her way. I took her tiny hand in my own strong grip.

Perfection. There were no other words for what I was feeling. Her, right here, in front of me and her hand in mine was absolute perfection. I suddenly felt like all the pieces of my life that I didn't even know were disconnected were falling into perfect place. She was my life now.

"My name is Jasper –"

" – Whitlock! I know!" she chimed in, cutting me off. My hand dropped as a quizzical look crossed my features. How did this undead angel know my name?

"Alice, correct?" I ventured on, my arms finding their way to a stationary position behind my back. "How do you know my last name?"

Her smile blazed, and the blackness in her eyes appeared to light up. "Do you wanna take a walk with me?" she asked.

There was nothing more I wanted in the world.

We strode out of the town into an open field of daisies. Every movement she made was graceful and smooth. It was as if she wasn't even walking. She only danced from destination to destination. I watched in pure wonder.

When we were out of sight of any humans, she took a seat and patted the empty ground beside her. I sat next to her without a thought.

"I have an ability," she explained, picking up a newly sprouted daisy and twirling it within her long, delicate fingers. "I can see outcomes of decisions. Some people call it the future, but I don't. The future is always changing, you can't just pull back a veil and see what's going to happen. It's not set, it's not solid. I only see the direct aftermath of a person's decision, you see? When I decided I was going to see you, you decided you were going to tell me your name, which is Jasper Whitlock. So I knew."

"But how did you decide to come see me if we've never met?" I inquired.

If vampires could blush, I had a feeling this girl Alice would be glowing. "Well…the first memory I have is of your face. I knew I had to find you."

My lips soundlessly moved. She was trying to find me? The most exquisite creature on the face of the earth had been looking for me?

"But…but…" Here I go stuttering again! What was wrong with me? I closed my eyes briefly. Very briefly. I never wanted Alice out of my sight again. "Your first memory? You don't remember being human?"

She shook her head side to side. "No. Only you."

I wanted then to hold her. I wanted to crush her petite body against mine only I knew I wouldn't crush her. Instead she would fit into each of my crevices, her forehead lying on my shoulder, and her soft arms would comfort me like no one had done before. I looked deep into her eyes, and I knew from the blissful sensation emanating from her core that she wished for the same thing.

She left the ground and I reached for her. She backed away. What was she doing? She couldn't leave! I would never let her leave.

She leaned forward and her face was only a few inches from mine. I wanted to lightly press my stone lips against her own. With one swift movement, her index finger had lightly patted my nose.

"You're it!" she cried before she raced from the field and away from me. I immediately stood to my feet and a panic that I had never felt before stunned me. If she was gone…my life was over.

A second passed and she was back. My arms bolted around her and squeezed her tightly. She didn't argue. She sighed and then released herself from my grip.

"You're not playing the game right!" she nagged, wagging one finger from side to side.

"Game?" I whispered. She thought her running away was a game? She was far from the truth.

"Yes. The game silly. I tagged you, so you're it."

"It?" The word was confusing me. This entire situation was confusing me. Why was she playing? We should be running. Yes, running is what we should be doing. We should be running to the other end of the world, far from Maria and far from this place.

It was in that moment that I knew then completely and fully why Peter and Charlotte had to leave.

Alice had no idea what I was thinking. Instead, she barged on with directions of this "game."

"The person who is it has to catch the other person. When they do, the other person is it."

"And it just keeps going on and on? When will one know they have won?"

Alice tore her gaze away from mine. A look of confusion spread across her features and I tilted her chin upwards. I would use all of my power to make sure she never looked that way again. She smiled and shrugged.

"I don't know. It's just fun. C'mon Jasper, play with me!"

Bells rang from the heavens. She said my name. I could finally be at peace.

She touched my shoulder and took off again, "You're it!" following her disappearing figure in a light, airy tone.

I couldn't help but smile. If she wanted to play, we would play. She would always have whatever she wanted.

We played until the sun went down. I never wanted to stop.

She was fun. Fun was something I hadn't experienced in years. And even then, it was only a shred of what I was feeling now. A pathetic, torn, dead shred.

I collapsed upon her a time later at the roots of an ancient tree. She was giggling and an unfamiliar, deep laughter was coming from me. I was laughing. I couldn't believe I was laughing. She stroked the sides of my face and I stared into her eyes for another few hours. We didn't move.

"You're perfect," I whispered. The stars above us glittered and winked in approval. She snickered again.

"I know," she responded and I barked another chuckle. Perfect and confident!

She smiled. "You're not so bad yourself, soldier."

Soldier. I could definitely get used to it.

"We're going to be happy for a very long time," she promised, the corners of her black eyes tightening.

"We are?" I asked, desperate for the answer I had been longing to hear for over a century.

"Yes we are, Jasper Whitlock. You are meant for me and I was meant for you. We will never be apart again."

I surrendered to her. She could never be close enough. I held on to her. I inhaled her intoxicating scent, kissed her perfect pink lips over and over again. Nothing was ever enough.

She finally pulled away. The sickening panic returned.

"What's wrong?" I posed, my voice strained with pain.

"Nothing is wrong, Jasper. We will be happy together, I promise. But not today."

The words stung harsher than any newborn bites I had ever experienced. Not today? She couldn't leave. I would be an empty shell. I wouldn't be able to function or breathe without her. I was nothing and she was everything.

"You must break away from Maria first. Then we will be together."

The cold memories of Maria hit hard and fast. I had not even contemplated of her once after meeting Alice, there was no need to. But I could see the events unfolding: if I ran away now from Alice, Maria would track me down and we would both be killed with no mercy. I had to have a clean break, for Alice's sake.

"You will find me," she promised again while rising from our spot at the base of the tree. With those words, I sensed immense anger. I sensed panic. It was from Maria. She was looking for me, and she was not happy. I had been missing for an entire day with no warning or message.

And she was hot on our trail.

If she saw Alice, if she knew Alice and I were…mates, yes that was the word, there was no hope for us. Alice knew this.

"Where?" my voice cracked as I reached for her one last time. I covered her lips with my own and the kiss was short, sweet, and filled with longing.

"You will find me," she only repeated. "I know you will." She tapped her index finger to her left temple and smiled. I would remember that smile forever.

She left me less than a second later. I shut my eyes, burning the image of her perfection deep in my scarred mind. I would remember her perfectly until I saw her again.

Maria appeared on the scene only a second after that.

"Jasper," she snapped, cocking her head to one side. Her burning eyes met mine. She was composed, no signs of her unprecedented anger daring to show from her.

"Maria," I responded with a low voice. I bent at the waist and kissed the back of her childish hand gently. It was customary.

"Where have you been?" Her voice was deathly silk. There was punishment coming, I knew there was. But I would endure what I had to until I could hold Alice in my arms again.

"Here. I caught the scent of that troublesome coven we've been tracking and I followed it. I was ambushed and awoke a few hours later to their disappearance. I'm sorry," I lied easily, my eyes never leaving hers.

"You're lying," she hissed. One small arm whipped from her side and closed around my neck. I dare not to respond in any way. Her grip tightened and my legs began to bend beneath with me. I fell to my knees but still did not move in any way in which to detach her.

"Who is she?" she demanded in a rage. Her eyes narrowed into ruby slits.

"I do not know who you are talking about!" I managed to squeeze from what little air my windpipe still contained. My entire body cringed as her stone fingers constricted.

"_Who is she?!_" she insisted once again. She threw my lifeless body to the ground, finally relinquishing her hold on me. My face went into the dirt but I still didn't move any further than that.

When I didn't answer, Maria only clicked her tongue. She shook her head from side to side.

"I am very disappointed in you, Jasper. You are my best general. You know I can't afford to lose you." She began to pace, her delicate bare feet making patterns in the wet earth.

I clenched my jaw. She was going to lose me, sooner or later. I would be with Alice. I would find her.

"I am going to have to punish you. You must forget her."

I screamed. The picture of Alice locked inside the steel traps of my mind was beginning to waver. It was disappearing slightly at the fringes. She was becoming nothing.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" I yelled, scrambling to my feet, running in disjointed and unfocused patterns as if I could somehow catch the slowly evaporating image of Alice.

"I told you, you must forget her," she answered, a demonic grin twirling on her lips. "Didn't anyone ever tell you I had this power? That I can make anyone forget anything? Oh, that's right. No one can remember I have this power…" Her speech was accompanied with maniacal laughter.

"No, NO! NO ALICE!" I choked. I screamed again, I couldn't lose this, I couldn't lose her. Alice's black eyes twinkled and I growled in frustration and horrible pain. I seized locks of my golden hair with my concrete fists and fell again to my knees. I pulled and snarled and screamed. Dry sobs wracked my entire being.

Alice…I couldn't lose her…I couldn't forget her…Alice…Alice…I love you, I love you, Alice, please…not Alice…I love you…

"Maria, please…not Alice…" I moaned in a whisper, my forehead falling into the dirt. I pounded the ground with one fist, the other still tangled in my hair. I shivered and felt the last strand of Alice's memory vacate.

"_You will find me,"_ her perfect voice echoed in an empty skull.

I will find you.

"Jasper, stand up."

Maria's commands sent me straight to my fullest height. My feet were together, my hands behind my back. Flecks of dirt fell from my eyebrows but I didn't understand why.

"What are you doing here?" she asked confidently.

I furrowed my golden eyebrows together, blinked, and took a quick look at my surroundings. I was in an open field. There was a tree. This was completely different from wherever I had been before.

I shook my head from side to side.

"I don't know," I answered slowly, blinking again.

Where was I? Why was I here? Why was I not at the barn?

And why did I feel so incredibly empty?

"Let's go home." Maria offered her hand and I took it. We ran off together, away from this strange place, and I wondered idly how I had ended up there. I shrugged off the notion. I couldn't be worrying about such frivolous things. I had work to do.


	3. Story

Salvation – Stage 3

Written by: Snow Illusion

Summary: Jasper and Alice spend some quality time with Nessie.

* * *

Stage 3

_Story_

*

A soft, melodious yawn punctuated the air.

I turned to look at the source of the sound, even though I knew exactly where it originated from. It would be the only person who could become exhausted at all in this house full of vampires.

Nessie was cuddled against Bella, who was in turn happily snuggled in the crook of Edward's arm. It was a perfect family photo. Light snow drifted behind the southern glass wall and framed the three immortals in a flaky splendor.

Edward couldn't help but smile at his daughter.

"I think she's ready for bed," he commented before unraveling his arm from Bella's shoulder. Bella nodded in agreement and reached for her.

Nessie pulled away immediately and Bella knitted her mahogany eyebrows in clear confusion.

"C'mon honey," she tried again, outstretching a pair of pale, considerably strong arms, but Nessie made yet another noise, this one filled with refusal. Bella shook her head. "Let's go back to the cottage, Reneesme. Daddy and I will come with you."

Before Bella had caught a hold of Nessie, the tiny half vampire counteracted her grab with one of her own hands placed delicately on Bella's cheekbone. Bella froze in place for a moment before her lips split into a grin. Nessie smiled in return when her mother finally understood her intentions.

Bella's now golden eyes unexpectedly turned towards mine. I cocked my head and waited for her explanation of Nessie's thoughts.

"She wants you, Jasper."

She giggled at what could only be my facial response. I felt my eyes bug and my mouth fell open, slightly agape. She wanted me?

"Why?" I asked, completely befuddled. With only the speed an immortal possessed, Bella gingerly held Nessie to her chest and deposited her into my vacant lap.

Nessie looked up, blinking her round chocolate eyes that bored deep into mine. The corner of her lips twirled into a crooked smile eerily reminiscent of her father's. A few rich curls of her bronze colored hair twisted behind her and fell onto my legs as she tilted her chin back. I knew what to expect when I felt her warm palm on my cheek.

I closed my eyes peacefully as one of Nessie's memories played in my mind. It had happened a few weeks earlier on a night quite like this one, and Alice and I were cuddled in the house's study on a green, plushy armchair, the only light in the room a flickering candle. The study was a large, square room, lined wall to wall with books and tomes. There were a few places to read, learn, or study: Alice and I's current position one of them, and also two desks, one in each corner.

One of my arms was wrapped around Alice's perfect shoulder and the other was holding an ancient, peeling volume between us. My low voice echoed in the recollection. I was reading to her. Alice smiled and turned her face upwards towards mine. I paused and we shared a brief, but sweet kiss. She sighed and returned to my chest as I continued to read.

The memory ended there and I was sad it did. I cleared my vision and took another look at Nessie who was nodding. I understood what she wanted now. She wanted a bedtime story.

I couldn't help but chuckle as I stood to my feet from my seat on the couch and placed Nessie's tiny arms around my neck. I held her around her bottom and close to my concrete chest as I ascended the grand staircase leading to the study.

Alice was waiting for us there.

"I should've known," I said softly in a low southern drawl while smiling. She returned my grin with her own beam and relieved my duties by carefully transferring Nessie into her own grip. Alice buried her forehead into a tangle of copper curls and inhaled.

"She has the best scent," Alice breathed and I shook my head from side to side.

"I can think of just one better." I began to pace the study, walking cautiously from one end of the room to the other, trying to pick out meticulously the best story to read to her. When I finally chose the ideal story for the little monster, Alice and Nessie were already reclining on the green armchair. Alice was braiding Nessie's hair and I made a mental note to warn Nessie of Alice's usual routine of turning new relatives into her own personal Barbie when she was slightly older.

Alice looked up as I made my way over and patted the empty space beside her. I took a seat and obtained my customary position. One arm snaked around Alice, her feet bent and rested below her, and myself resting my cheek on the top of her midnight hair. Nessie bounced happily on Alice's lap and then lounged as well. Alice squeezed the little girl tightly. I was relieved to see she was excited.

I cleared my throat and began to read.

My voice echoed slightly and soon began to fill the room. It drifted harmoniously, dropping when I needed it too, rising slightly with each elevated line in the story. I was only a few pages in when Nessie's eyes began to droop heavily. Another yawn from her pierced the room and she smacked her lips.

"Thank you, Jasper," she whispered before she finally closed her eyes for the rest of the night. Her breathing became patterned and heavy and I knew she was asleep.

I kissed Alice's forehead as she held Nessie firmly and played with tendrils of her luscious hair.

I placed the book face down and absorbed the image displayed in front of me.

Alice's lower lip jutted forward and her topaz eyes left Nessie's slumbering form and met mine. "Why did you stop?" she sighed.

I laughed again. It was just like Alice to want to hear the end of a children's story.

She relaxed against me as I picked up where I left off. It wasn't until dawn that the three of us moved, and we had felt no need to before then.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading guys! And just to give you a heads up, the more reviews I get, the more motivated I am to write the next chapter, and I've got plenty of ideas. ;) Just throwin' it out there. Thanks again and stay tuned for more!**


	4. Homecoming

Salvation – Stage 4

Written by: Snow Illusion

Summary: Jasper and Alice introduce themselves to the Cullens.

* * *

Stage 4

_Homecoming_

*

The soft, patterned rock of the train's cabin was an unusual comfort to me. If I had even been riding this train, let's say, less than 24 hours ago, each excruciating passing second would raise every steel, pale blonde fiber on my arm. I would be seated on the extreme edge of the seat, my back rigidly straight, two ruby eyes shifting from side to side. Smooth, acid venom would coat my tongue periodically, I would hone in on every living being's pulsing, delicious heart, and I would be ready to kill at a moment's notice. And I would. I even figured out the exact moment I would do it: right after the previous mountain pass, where the windows were clouded with frosty condensation and the conductor had lost transmission for only a few seconds when we passed through the tunnel. My massacre would commence then.

But that was not how the events transpired. Instead, I was relatively relaxed. I had one leg bent over the other, my venomous reflex had not been activated, and even my usual constant thirst was just an annoying, dry burn that I was easily able to tune out.

The best part was I wasn't alone.

Alice. Oh God, Alice. If there was a God, thank you. Thank you for sending her to me. She has saved my life. If I wasn't on this train with her, right now, I'd still be with her. With Maria.

I mentally cringed. I had already known my duties for this day, and that's why I had finally broken free, why I had to get away. Maria had assigned an entire township to me. Yes, it was small, under populated, and barely industrialized, but she wanted me to drain everyone. Men, women, even the tiniest of children. Dead. She wanted the streets littered with their empty veins. She explained to me this would only underline our vengeance; terrify our rival covens before we did something truly serious.

Didn't she already know she had passed the brink of insanity? That this _was_ truly serious?

I plotted my escape in a wild, uninhibited instant. I didn't care where I went. Just north, away from the covens and territory and Maria.

I had barely cleared Texas when something unexplainable started to pull me eastward. I wondered absentmindedly what the east held for me: a dark coast and bigger populations. I realized it didn't even matter; anywhere else would be a considerable advantage to my previous life.

Philadelphia. Who knew that's where paradise was?

She was waiting for me, curling a full cup of coffee in her unbreakable grip. She had smiled so wide as soon as that cheap, plastic bell had chimed, and each of her perfect, ivory teeth shimmered in the dull light of the half empty café.

I wasn't even aware we had gotten on the train. She had mentioned a family (I noted the use of the word family and not coven) residing on the north tip of Michigan in a city with a considerable amount of rain fall and cloud cover. The head of the…family was Carlisle Cullen. He had a mate, Esme, and in turn there were three younger vampires: Edward, Rosalie, and their newest addition before us, Emmett. We would complete the family.

I first told her I wasn't sure if I was ready to join another family. My time with Maria was horrifying; I had to find a different way of living. Why couldn't the two of us run off together and explore the world? Why did there have to be others? I had been waiting my entire undead life for her, and now that we were together, she wanted to gang up with the first group of vampires she saw?

I physically shook my head from side to side, blonde bangs swishing in my eye sight. These thoughts were meaningless. It didn't matter where Alice wanted to go, I would go with her. We were inseparable. If she wanted to move to Antarctica and hunt penguins until we wasted away, I would gladly follow her to the edge of the Earth.

She noticed my unnecessary movement.

"Jasper, what's wrong?" she asked in perfect soprano. I turned my coal eyes towards hers. She was desperately thirsty. I had suggested we take down a human before we boarded but she vehemently refused. She only feeded when she was on her last thread of existence, when she could feel the edge of her vision blur and she could no longer control her instincts. She pushed the boundaries of her thirst.

I'm still concerned. I don't want her to hurt, and I don't want her to go on a feeding frenzy right here in this train. But I had faith in her.

"Nothing is wrong," I answered in a low whisper, crushing her petite frame against my stone chest. I kissed her forehead. "Nothing will be wrong again now that I'm with you."

She giggled. "They are a nice family, Jasper. Stop worrying."

I sighed and slid my stone, pale fingers through her cropped, insanely soft midnight hair. "I'm not worrying," I repeated, my lips splitting into a deadly smile. I felt her resistance melt and I melted right along with her.

We were silent again for a while, the pure presence of the other enough comfort.

"Jasper," she spoke after an hour, her eyes turned slightly downwards, her bottom lip jutted.

The tone of her voice sent my thoughts spiraling. What was wrong? Did she need to feed? Was our plan with the Cullens going to fail?

"There is something I haven't told you about the Cullens…" she trailed as her shoulders hunched in defeat.

I squared my ebony eyes. "What is it, Alice? I won't be upset," I promised tenderly, hooking my index finger under her sculpted chin.

My voice did not brighten her heavy mood to my dismay. I could feel stress radiating from her body, so I in turn calmed her down. The air lightened, but the damn, miserable look on her face wouldn't go away. What was bothering her so much?

"Well," she began, and I grinned lightly to myself, knowing she was about to embark on one of her unbreakable tangents. "I didn't tell you earlier because I thought you wouldn't want to come with me and I know we have to join this family, we just have to. You see, the Cullens aren't like any vampires we've ever met. They don't feed on humans, they feed on animals. It's not horrible, but it's not amazing either. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you this before, Jasper! I'm so sorry!" she managed to squeak in one breath.

She was jittery again and I wrapped my stone arms around her pixie frame while lifting her out of her own seat and onto my lap. She buried her forehead into my shoulder and I ran my concrete fingers down her smooth back while bringing the obvious tension and stress back down.

"Shh, shh," I cooed softly while kissing her marble earlobe. "Everything's okay, everything is going to be okay," I reassured. I finally allowed myself to relax when Alice had calmed down enough for my liking. I cradled her warm cheeks in my hand and made sure we were eye to eye.

"First of all," I started, my black eyes searching hers for recognition. "I would follow you anywhere. That will never be a question again."

She nodded three times in a split second. I chuckled and continued. "Second of all, I will be able to handle this. I don't care where we go. Just as long as I'm with you."

She squealed, her eyes lightening and her lips stretching into the smile I had fallen in love with before I had even known her. She scrambled me into an awkward, sitting hug, and I happily returned the affection.

Inwardly, I gulped. I could handle this. I could definitely handle this.

Right?

*

Alice and I had come upon an ivory glass house. It was a mansion for all intensive purposes, perched on a hilltop far away from the closest town. A few threatening gray clouds hung over the tower. Rain would come soon.

"Let's introduce ourselves," Alice suggested as she danced fluidly to the front door. I followed a little more cautiously behind her. She didn't have the experience or knowledge that I did when encountering new and fellow vampires. I wasn't sure what to expect.

She rang the doorbell.

Before I could blink the large, oak door swung forward, revealing a tall, lean, and blonde vampire like myself. His eyes were a shade I had never seen before: a dull topaz tinted slightly at the edges with black. Was this the result of the animal feeding?

"Hello there," he greeted slowly before another vampire appeared at his side, this one a female with long, wavy caramel colored hair. I assumed this was Carlisle and Esme.

"Hi!" Alice chirped before she threw her arms around Carlisle's neck. When she was finished with Carlisle, she moved onto Esme. Esme seemed delighted as a sugary laugh echoed from her. Carlisle's mouth was set in a straight line. It seemed he had the same worries that I did.

"I'm Alice!" Alice barged on before Carlisle or Esme could even speak again.

Her tiny hand was in mine in another split second. "And this is Jasper." The happiness she radiated was almost unbearable. My mouth was going to fall off if I kept smiling like this.

I pulled myself away from Alice's gaze and met Carlisle's. I gave a slight nod.

Carlisle's golden eyes narrowed. "It's very nice to meet you two. Would you like to meet my family?"His icy exterior had finally begun to wade once it was clear Alice and I were not a threat.

Alice immediately agreed and walked in through the front door with my hand still attached to hers.

"So, Alice, how did you two end up here?" Esme inquired a few steps behind us with one of Carlisle's arms still wrapped around her waist.

"Train," Alice explained shortly. She was very busy taking in her surroundings. And she was not disappointed.

"Uh huh," Esme agreed, pleased heartily at Alice's child like nature. I could already feel waves of motherhood. Alice would fit in perfectly.

The three other vampires were crowded in the living room. One lanky, taller build with bronze colored hair was sprawled lazily across a creamy leather couch. Another female with striking beauty and luscious, pale blonde hair sat in the other burly, male vampire's grip. I was forcibly reminded of Alice and I's behavior. They were new found mates, it was obvious.

It was also obvious that this gigantic, built vampire with dark curly hair was a newborn. I sank into a crouch against my will. Venom flooded my mouth without any warning. Every stone muscle was tightened because every newborn was the same. Uncontrollable, volatile, dangerous. I would not have one close to my Alice.

The lanky one immediately raced to his feet, mimicking my crouch in less than a heartbeat. He hissed and venom spat.

The big one's mate was also hissing, her topaz eyes alight with anger.

"Stop this behavior this instance!" boomed the commanding voice of Carlisle. The newborn was neutral on the couch, daring not to move. I was surprised at the control, perhaps he was not as newly born as I had thought.

"Jasper, please," Alice whispered painfully, her soft hand stroking my shoulder. I rose from my crouch. The two did the same but did not leave their stationary positions.

"I apologize," I mumbled darkly, my eyes still locked on the newborn. "I have some…bad experiences with newborns, and I thought he was going to attack."

"His name is Emmett!" the blond vampire snapped. It was clear she was still poised for battle. She was beckoning me for a fight. She would defend her mate with every concrete fiber in her being.

"Rosalie, calm down, no damage has been done," Carlisle said again in his low, decisive voice. The high tension was starting to bother me, so with a single thought I cast a calm wave over the entire room while pulling Alice closer to me.

The Cullens blinked, unsure of where this odd tranquility had stemmed from. Rosalie wrapped herself in Emmett's arms again and the first vampire who had responded to my threat, the fast and lanky one, retired to the other couch.

"Interesting," Carlisle whispered. He had not shrugged off the new emotion as quickly as everyone else had. I stayed unmoving, unsure whether or not I wanted to disclose my ability to the Cullens just yet. My mouth continued to remain shut as Esme guided her golden eyes back to us.

"Well," she played off lightly, the edges around her eyes tightening. "What brings you two here?" she asked again.

Alice cracked a grin. "We've come to live with you. And there's nothing you can really do about it." She stuck out her tongue.

I rolled my eyes. This was gonna be one hell of a long eternity.


	5. Scars

Salvation – Stage 5

Written by: Snow Illusion

Summary: Alice questions Jasper about a few of his scars.

* * *

Stage 5

_Scars_

*

Tiny, angelic fingers danced across my forearm.

"What's this one from?" Her tinkling voice rang like a thousand sweet windchimes.

Black eyes met the dead, puffy skin she was currently tracing. This particular jagged scar snaked all the way from my wrist to shoulder. I sighed and ruffled my blonde hair with my free hand.

"Erm…" I trailed off, glancing away.

She propped herself on one creamy elbow, her almond shaped eyes widening in excitement.

"You don't remember, do you?!" she questioned, her voice rising in pitch and volume. I couldn't help but grin and tousle her cropped midnight hair.

"Alice…" I taunted, wagging a finger. "You know that story."

"I know!" she squeaked, finally sitting up fully and letting our shared bedsheets fall to her waist. The conversation we were previously having instantly disappeared. I was always taken aback by Alice's beauty – she was more than perfect. She was also a major distraction most of the time.

"Stop staring at me and tell the story!" she whined sweetly. She was never annoying, only persistent. And how could I ever resist my undead angel?

"Okay, okay!" I finally gave in. She squealed again and collapsed against my stone cold ribcage. I wrapped strong arms around her petite – but never delicate – frame. She fluttered soft kisses on my collarbone and chest. I shivered, but not from the cold. From pure, unadulterated temptation.

In a split second, I had her on her back. Scars and stories forgotten, I crushed my pale lips against her own. She returned this kiss ferociously but pulled me away from her delicious, faultless mouth.

"No," she ordered as if training an overgrown puppy. It wasn't hurtful however – I knew what she wanted. My voice turned her on as much as my body did. She wanted the story first, sensual foreplay to the marathon that would soon commence.

I pretended to sigh out of exasperation, but ended the exhaling with a chuckle. Alice's eyes, a warm golden topaz, were shining. But I couldn't lose myself in them, not now.

"Let's see…" I drew out, reveling in my complete control over the woman I loved so much. She waited anxiously for me to continue.

"This scar…is from fifty years ago. Right before…well, the Train."

Alice nodded, there was no explanation for this term. The Train was the point in time that Alice and I had come together – for good. The term represented my transition from blood feeding Vampire…to Jasper.

"I had not fed for days and days. I thought I would go absolutely crazy from the hunger and the pain. I made the wrong decision to tag along with a rebel band of foreign Vampires. I thought if I hung around enough, I would eventually feed. It didn't work. And when I finally tried to secure a human for myself, the coven turned on me. This scar…" I stopped there. My own fingers ran up and down my arm. They skipped all the way over to my concrete thigh, dotting lightly the thousands of newborn vampire bites that tattooed my flesh. So many scars. Each one held a story. A truth. A memory.

"This scar is the remnant of that horrific time."

Alice was eerily silent. Her amber gaze had forgotten the long and twisted scar that I had just so patiently explained and had moved on to another one. She was frowning.

"What is this?" Her voice was cold. Her fingertips barely touched the crescent mark on my chest. It was so light it was barely distinguishable.

"Is this new?"

"No."

"Why have I never seen it before?"

I turned away from her. "I don't know," I managed to spout from clenched teeth.

"Jasper Hale!" she cried, cupping my cheeks and forcing me to face her. "You explain yourself right now!"

A weight settled itself on my heart. I had thought Alice would never ask me that question. I had hoped, prayed against all chances that we would never have this conversation. We had been together for so long I thought I had made it into the clear, but apparently I was wrong. Horrificly wrong.

"Maria."

One word, one name said it all. Alice released herself from my grip and settled a good distance away on the other side of our gigantic bed. It seemed as if a sea was tearing us apart.

"I'm sorry," I immediately apologized, although I was not quite sure what for. It was obvious I had upset her deeply, but the reason still alluded me.

"About what?" she whispered – soft velvet to my tortured ears.

I was dumbfounded again. My mouth opened in response and closed when no enlightenment poured forth.

"The scar."

She turned her back to me and I wished desperately to comfort her, but the sea was gradually widening into an entire ocean. She was drifting farther and farther away. Her shoulders bobbed up and down slightly and I thought for a moment she was going to run, and this entire life I had made with her would shatter into a thousand dreamy pieces. She was just a dream. Was my entire existence a dream?

She didn't leave. I crossed the ocean and swooped her against me, so hard I thought our skin would melt and we would become one person. I never wanted her farther away again.

"Please tell me, Alice," I begged, my eyes tightening against tears I couldn't cry. "Please," I whimpered, burying my face into her midnight hair.

I held up the white flag. I surrendered. Whatever she wanted, she would have. Even if it hurt her.

"Tell me," she commanded in a gravely voice. She was fighting hard against the emotion that wanted so much to overtake her.

"It was before everything," I hastily clarified, quick to jump on the chance to explicate. "It was within the first few days of my new life… I think that's why it's so pale. It's my oldest scar and only visible during certain times of the day and within the right amount of light. Maria, reveling in the success of creating me, launched herself passionately onto my newborn vampire form the first moments my black eyes opened. She was kissing, biting, forcing herself upon me and I reacted harshly. When she felt my arms enclose her, her teeth sank down. And she held on. I yelped and pulled but still she bit harder, tearing away my diamond skin and piercing flesh. She wanted me and would not take no for an aswer."

Heavy silence. I took this as a cue to carry on.

"I bit her in return, but not in the way she desired. Finally she released her fangs and slapped me swiftly across the cheek. The burn was nothing compared to the deep gash her crescent teeth had left in my chest. She left me alone and hungry and returned days later as the Maria you have known up until this point."

Alice still said nothing and I was growing scared and panicky again.

"Say something," I whispered.

She didn't say anything. She didn't need to. Her perfect lips met the exact same spot where Maria's teeth had infiltrated. I shuddered when she kissed it tenderly. She tilted her gaze to mine and grinned.

"Thank you, Jasper."

I swallowed hardly. I was still amazed to this day how Alice had the amazing power to fix everything that had gone wrong in my life. Not only did she fix it – she forced all of my horrible memories to combust in a puff of smoke. She was my saving grace.

I cradled her.

We stayed in this position for quite sometime before her perfect lips met mine – not for the last time that day, and not for the last time of our lifetimes.


End file.
